For nearly two decades, the Givaudan Gallery in Paris not only exhibited contemporary artwork but also produced artistsâ€™ books, objects and multiples. Claude Givaudan, a French-Swiss gallery owner, editor and producer, published hundreds of contemporary artistsâ€™ editions. He envisioned an art production system that would upend the traditional gallery structure by making art objects that could be sold at affordable prices.

Untitled (Hand and Cigar) was conceived and executed by Marcel Duchamp and Givaudan for the exhibition Ready-mades and Editions of and by Marcel Duchamp, shown at the Givaudan Gallery from June 8 to September 30, 1967. The hand is Duchampâ€™sâ€”a detail from a photo taken in 1967 at his studio on rue Larrey. Duchamp added the smoke from a photo of a pipe smoked by George Brassens, a French singer-songwriter and poet best known for his anti-authoritarian lyrics.